I am a parent of a 9 and a 6 year old here in Virginia and I have watched people's irrational fears projected onto our young children for too long. This needs to stop. 

The risk posed by influenza for children every year is in fact greater than that of SARS-CoV-2 and we simply do not need forced vaccinations to return to normal. The families who choose to vaccinate their children can do so and those who do not can opt out just like every other year. No mandate needed.

The bottomline is that vaccines are about protection for the individual and are a matter of personal health not public health. For some to suggest that unvaccinated individuals somehow pose a risk to those who have been vaccinated is totally ridiculous and quite frankly undermines vaccine confidence.